Nebraska softball legend Jordy Bahl Frahm is expecting her first child. The superstar pitcher and slugger shared the surprise pregnancy announcement on Monday, just one day after wrapping her decorated college career at the 2026 Women's College World Series (WCWS).
Frahm broke the news through a joint Instagram post with her husband, Trey.
"Our greatest blessing is on the way," the couple wrote. "Baby Frahm coming December 2026."
Jordy Frahm Caps Career at 2026 Women's College World Series
The happy announcement followed a bittersweet weekend in Oklahoma City for the Cornhuskers.
On Sunday, Frahm fell just five outs short of a no-hitter against Texas. A late three-run home run from Katie Stewart lifted the Longhorns to a 3-1 WCWS victory, knocking Nebraska out of the 2026 NCAA softball tournament.
"Just so thankful for the journey and to finish it with this team," Frahm, who also hit a home run in the first inning, said after the game.
Despite the tough WCWS loss, Frahm leaves an storied legacy on the diamond.
Before returning home to play for Nebraska in 2023, Frahm won two WCWS championships with Oklahoma. She closed out her college run by winning the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA Player of the Year awards.
The historic sweep makes her the first back-to-back winner since 2016.
Frahm also etched her name into college sports history this spring, becoming the first-ever DI player to secure 20+ home runs and 20+ pitching wins across multiple seasons.
The 2026 WCWS took the weekend by storm, as NCAA softball titans shook up the college bracket to this week’s Women’s College World Series Finals.
Alabama softball and Tennessee rolled through the competition, taking both weekend matchups to enter today’s semifinals with the winners’ advantage.
Defending champion Texas and 2025 runner-up Texas Tech managed to stave off elimination, as the Longhorns broke up a Nebraska no-hitter and the Red Raiders survived UCLA in extra innings.
College World Series Sets Semifinals Bracket
Today’s semifinals pit winners Alabama and Tennessee against losers Texas Tech and Texas, with the winning sides needing just one victory to advance while the underdogs need two.
Should the Longhorns beat the Lady Vols or the Red Raiders defeat the Crimson Tide, a second winner-take-all game immediately follows as a doubleheader.
“We’re chasing excellence, and we’re chasing a never-ending pursuit of greatness, and I [have] just been excited to be a part of that,” said Alabama slugger Alexis Pupillo.
Where to Watch Today's 2026 WCWS Semifinals
The WCWS semifinals kick off today at 12 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Nebraska softball star Ava Kuszak launched a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning in Thursday's WCWS bracket action, notching a 5-3 comeback win over Arkansas at the 2026 Women's College World Series.
The dramatic finish sends the Cornhuskers into the WCWS winner's bracket while dropping Arkansas into elimination contention.
It also extends Nebraska's nation-leading winning streak to 27 games, with the team's last loss dating back to late March.
Nebraska Softball Makes History in Extra-Innings WCWS Thriller
Arkansas softball struck first in the second inning, as Kailey Wyckoff launched a two-run home run.
The blast snapped a historic streak for Nebraska ace Jordy Frahm, marking the first WCWS scores she's allowed in 28 innings — a stretch dating back to her time with Oklahoma softball.
However, the Cornhuskers rallied late to force extra frames, kept alive by a clutch solo home run from Hannah Coor in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kuszak subsequently sealed the victory in the 10th, keeping the team's historic winning streak intact.
"Right when it hit her bat, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we just won the freaking game,'" Coor said of her teammate's dinger.
Nebraska vs Arkansas Impacts Softball World Series Bracket
Thursday's WCWS scores set up a pair of high-stakes weekend matchups, as the softball world series cruises through the 2026 bracket.
Nebraska moves on to face top-seeded Alabama in the winner's bracket on Saturday evening. Arkansas, meanwhile, advances to a Friday night elimination game against big-swinging UCLA softball.
Fans can watch every 2026 WCWS matchup on ESPN.
Alabama softball opened the 2026 Women's College World Series with a decisive 6-3 victory on Thursday, taking the Alabama vs UCLA softball win in stride.
The win advances Alabama into the WCWS winner's bracket, while UCLA drops to the elimination side of the softball world series.
Brooke Wells Powers Alabama Softball Over UCLA
Another offensive surge in the middle innings helped the Crimson Tide score the WCWS victory.
Outfielder Brooke Wells delivered the definitive blow, launching a crucial three-run home run that broke the game open. Wells finished the day with four RBIs, spearheading an Alabama lineup that capitalized on key scoring opportunities.
The Bruins attempted a late-game rally, utilizing their signature power hitting to put runners on base. However, Alabama's defense executed critical plays to stifle the tying runs, securing the opening-round victory.
Crimson Tide head coach Patrick Murphy credited the team's performance to Alexis Pupillo and Wells's batting percentages, in addition to well as SEC Pitcher of the Year Jocelyn Briski's control at the plate.
"I thought it was a really well-played game," Murphy said afterwards.
"Briski did an incredible job of pitching through a little adversity… I felt like we were just missing a couple early in the game, then Brooke connected and so did Pupillo."
Latest WCWS Scores Shape the Softball World Series Bracket
With the 6-3 win, Alabama advance to face Nebraska on Saturday, May 30th. The Cornhuskers similarly emerged victorious from their opening day match, winning Thursday's Nebraska vs Arkansas softball match 5-3 to send Arkansas to tonight's elimination showdown.
Meanwhile, UCLA and Arkansas must now navigate the WCWS elimination bracket to keep their championship hopes alive. The Bruins take on the Razorbacks tonight at 9:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Heavy rain halted Thursday night's NCAA softball super regionals action between Nebraska and Oklahoma State in the first inning.
Now, coach Kenny Gajewski and the No. 13 seed Cowgirls look to restart their postseason push on Friday afternoon. The squad faces the No. 4 seed Cornhuskers in the opening match of the best-of-three series in Lincoln.
Nearby lightning strikes forced officials to suspend play during the bottom of the first inning with the score tied at 0-0. Nebraska’s Hannah Coor had just hit into a fielder's choice, leaving a runner on first base with two outs before weather became a deciding factor.
Initially, tournament officials planned a late-night restart, but persistent storms forced a full postponement.
Because of the delay, the teams will restart Game 1 on Friday at 5 PM ET at Bowlin Stadium. Fans can watch the live NCAA softball broadcast on ESPN2.
NCAA Softball Super Regionals Shift Slate After Nebraska Delay
As a result of the shift, officials altered the rest of the NCAA softball super regionals weekend schedule.
The revised Nebraska vs Oklahoma State softball slate includes:
- Game 1: Friday, May 22rd at 5 PM ET (ESPN2)
- Game 2: Saturday, May 23rd at 5 PM ET (ESPN)
- Game 3 (If necessary): Sunday, May 24th (TBD)
Both programs entered the postseason with strong records. Oklahoma State holds a 41-15 sheet, while Nebraska stands at 49-6 in 2026. The winner of the series will advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The 2026 NCAA softball season is officially in full swing, as the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational brings 16 top programs — including 10 ranked teams — to Florida for four days of championship-level matchups this week.
A full seven of the nation's Top 10 teams will feature in this edition of the annual competition, with No. 6 Florida State, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 10 LSU joining three of last season's Women's College World Series contenders — No. 7 UCLA, No. 3 Tennessee, and 2025 runners-up, No. 1 Texas Tech — in Clearwater.
With so many elite rosters, the invitational's 40-game slate includes 17 ranked matchups — and eight Top 10 showdowns.
Three of those eight games will feature Tennessee, who drew arguably the toughest Clearwater weekend with clashes against the No. 6 Seminoles, No. 7 Bruins, and No. 8 Cornhuskers — a team that stunned defending champion No. 2 Texas with an 8-5 opening-weekend upset loss on Saturday.
Friday's clash between the Huskers and Vols — a rematch of the pair's 2025 Super Regional — will also serve as an early-season litmus test of two of college softball's best pitchers, with a duel in the circle expected between Tennessee standout Karlyn Pickens and Nebraska ace Jordy Frahm (née Bahl).
But first, the top-ranked Red Raiders — led by two-time All-American pitcher and the sport's only multimillion-dollar NIL athlete NiJaree Canady — will headline Thursday's docket in their own Super Regional rematch against the No. 6 Seminoles.
How to watch NCAA softball at the 2026 Clearwater Invitational
The stacked Clearwater Invitational began on Thursday morning, with the day's spotlight clash between No. 1 Texas Tech and No. 6 Florida State taking the field at 1 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.
All 40 games will air live across ESPN platforms.
The 2025 Women's College World Series begins today, with the sport's most prestigious organizations taking advantage of this week's NCAA softball spotlight to bestow awards on the season's top athletes.
Arkansas first baseman Bri Ellis earned USA Softball's 2025 Collegiate Player of the Year title on Tuesday, with the senior beating out a shortlist that included Nebraska pitcher Jordy Bahl and Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady — who won the award in her 2024 sophomore season.
A menace at the plate, Ellis led the NCAA in on-base (.639) and slugging percentages (1.090). She finished the year with 26 home runs — the third-most in the nation — while racking up 72 RBIs, both setting single-season records for the Razorbacks.
Wednesday saw both Bahl and Canady take home hardware of their own, with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association naming the Nebraska redshirt junior their 2025 National Player of the Year while the Texas Tech transfer snagged Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season.
A two-time national champion with Oklahoma before transferring to the Cornhuskers, Bahl is the only player to rank in the Top 10 for both batting average and ERA, claiming multiple program records at the plate while tossing 26 wins from the circle. This season, she became just the fifth Division I athlete to ever record 20+ wins and 20+ home runs in a single campaign.
Another two-way titan, Canady leads the nation with a lights-out 0.89 ERA on the season, allowing a Division I-low of 3.65 hits per seven innings while leading the Red Raiders in long-ball production with 11 home runs.
How to watch the winners of the 2025 college softball awards
Despite their individual achievements, only Canady's Texas Tech survived last weekend's Super Regionals, meaning fans must wait until the 2026 NCAA season to catch rising Nebraska senior Bahl back in action.
It's a shorter wait to watch Ellis, however, as the Arkansas grad will begin her pro career with the Talons in the brand-new Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which starts its inaugural season on June 7th.
As for Canady, she'll look to take the Red Raiders on a deep run in Oklahoma City. No. 12-seed Texas Tech will face unseeded Ole Miss in both teams' first-ever WCWS game at 7 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on ESPN2.
After a first-round weekend of pitcher's duels and red-hot bats, the 2025 NCAA softball tournament's best-of-three Super Regionals field is set — and it's missing four of the 16 national seeds.
No. 10 LSU fell on Saturday after two upset losses to unseeded SE Louisiana, before Sunday saw No. 13 Arizona and No. 14 Duke follow suit while unseeded Ole Miss, Georgia, and Nebraska all punched second-round tickets.
Eventually ousting SE Louisiana in the winners' bracket to advance to their first Super Regionals in 11 years, the Huskers rode in on the back of two-time All-American pitcher Jordy Bahl, with the Oklahoma transfer throwing 12 innings and hitting four home runs across Nebraska's three Regional games.
Elsewhere, unseeded Liberty booked a program-first trip to the Supers by eliminating top-seed Texas A&M — the first time the NCAA bracket's overall No. 1 seed failed to advance from Regionals.
Should they similarly bounce No. 16 Oregon this weekend, Liberty will become just the second mid-major team to make the Women's College World Series (WCWS) since 2014, joining James Madison's 2021 Cinderella run.
Rounding out the rest of the Super Regional round's 16 teams are No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 Florida State, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, and No. 8 South Carolina, as well as No. 9 UCLA, No. 11 Clemson, No. 12 Texas Tech, No. 15 Alabama, and the aforementioned No. 16 Ducks.
Super Regional weekend to feature blockbuster matchups
The 16 contenders will battle head-to-head for eight available WCWS berths, with the four-time defending champion Sooners now leading the field.
To advance, however, Oklahoma must first outlast Alabama, a team with which the Sooners have a long, contentious postseason history — the pair have faced off in five of the last 12 NCAA tournaments.
After Oklahoma bounced Alabama from the 2019 WCWS semifinals — the last time the pair squared off before becoming SEC rivals — the Tide enacted revenge by narrowly beating the Sooners in April's conference play, teeing up a tense weekend Super Regional series.
After narrowly missing this weekend's hosting rights as the No. 9 seed — UCLA's lowest seeding since 2016 — the Bruins proved why they are the sport's winningest program, run-ruling ever Regional game while allowing just two runs all weekend.
The 12-time champions will now travel to Gamecock territory, where No. 8 South Carolina will try to boost the Bruins and book their first WCWS ticket in 28 years.
Powerhouses still rule the diamond, but parity has never been higher in college softball, with this year's NCAA tournament already delivering whiplash results.
How to watch the 2025 NCAA softball Super Regionals
The best-of three NCAA softball Super Regionals kick off on Thursday and run through the weekend, with possible winner-take-all clashes finalizing the WCWS slate on Sunday.
First games are as follows:
- No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 5 Florida State, 7 PM ET on Thursday (ESPN2)
- No. 11 Clemson at No. 6 Texas, 9 PM ET on Thursday (ESPN2)
- Georgia at No. 3 Florida, 11 AM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
- No. 9 UCLA at No. 8 South Carolina, 1 PM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
- No. 15 Alabama at No. 2 Oklahoma, 5 PM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
- Nebraska at No. 7 Tennessee, 7 PM ET on Friday (ESPN2)
- Ole Miss at No. 4 Arkansas, 8 PM ET on Friday (ESPNU)
- Liberty at No. 16 Oregon, 10 PM ET on Friday (ESPNU)
College softball is back, with a new-look Oklahoma team kicking off the 2025 NCAA season in pursuit of a fifth-straight Women's College World Series win.
Despite Oklahoma's ongoing dominance, 2025's lineup does promise significantly higher parity than seasons past.
Having graduated a number of last year's stars — including a senior class that snagged four straight national titles — the Sooners enter the season ranked third.
Instead, 2024 runner-up Texas takes the top spot, followed by perennial contenders Florida at No. 2. Both teams enter 2025 with the majority of their rosters from last season intact, earning them an edge over the revamped Sooners.
Texas on top as SEC looms
Still hunting a first national championship, Texas returns with six starters and four of their five 2024 pitchers — including then-freshman phenom Teagan Kavan, who led the team with 20 wins last year.
Meanwhile, last season's Big 12 Player of the Year, junior catcher Reese Atwood, is back to lead the Longhorn offense.
After joining rival Oklahoma in flipping to the SEC this year, Texas is gearing up to meet their new conference foes with the No. 1 target on their backs.
"It's a great honor, to tell you the truth," Texas head coach Mike White said about the preseason ranking. "And now we got to back it up. We’ve had a team that's been called young in the years past, and now we're a little more mature."
"We have a tough slate of games ahead of us, and then, of course, the gauntlet of the SEC is ahead of us," White noted. "We’ve really just got to go play good softball now."
The impact of conference realignment will extend beyond the SEC this season. The sport's historic dynasty No. 6 UCLA is now competing in the Big Ten while No. 4 Oklahoma State is taking over the top spot in the Big 12 rankings.
2025 NCAA softball season takes the field
As multiple teams travel to warm-weather destinations to start the season, the first week of competition showcases a slate of top-ranked matchups.
With a top-tier win already in the books, No. 4 Oklahoma State opened their 2025 campaign with a bang at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Thursday. Buoyed by a trio of home runs, the Cowgirls handed No. 12 Florida State a 9-6 loss.
Waiting on deck at this week's NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, are two ranked games featuring superstar pitchers.
First, No. 16 Nebraska ace Jordy Bahl — a two-time NCAA champion with Oklahoma — will likely take the circle against No. 5 Tennessee on Thursday. If she gets the start, it will mark her first game in nearly a year, as the Cornhusker transfer suffered a season-ending ACL injury in last year's opener.
Then on Friday, a revamped No. 10 Texas Tech side will face No. 25 Mississippi State, with former Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady likely leading the charge.
The 2024 National Player of the Year transferred after her sophomore season with the Cardinal, as Texas Tech sealed the deal via a record-shattering $1 million NIL contract.
How to watch this week's Top 25 NCAA softball games
Look for Bahl to lead No. 16 Nebraska against No. 5 Tennessee at 7 PM ET on Thursday, before No. 25 Mississippi State will contend with Canady and No. 10 Texas Tech at 5 PM ET on Friday.
Both games will stream live on the GameChanger app.